The summer movie season is officially here and there are a whole lot of big blockbusters on the way. We definitely have our fair share of standard offerings coming, with plenty of comic book movies to choose from, but there is one unique and possibly risky one among the bunch. Director Luc Besson (The Fifth Element,Lucy) is bringingValerian and the City of a Thousand Planetsto the big screen and the movie has just been given a final trailer that is absolutely loaded down withvisual flair.
STX Entertainmentdropped the final trailer forValeriantoday, just a couple of months away from the July 21 release date. As with the other trailers we have seen, this footage is crammed with gorgeous visuals and a whole bunch ofexpensive-looking CGI. However, for a final trailer, it is quite surprising how little story is put into this trailer. We know that Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are on some kind of mission and that they have 10 hours to do it. That’s about it. At this point, it seems like the studio is hoping that they can sell this movie as a visuallyexciting sci-fi epicabove all else.
In case you didn’t pick up much about the story forValerian and the City of a Thousand Planetsfrom the trailers, the movie will center on Valerian and Laureline, who are special operatives for the government of the human territories charged with maintaining order throughout the universe. Valerian has a romantic interest in Laureline, but his history with women, and her traditional values cause her to continuously refuse him. Under orders from their commander (Clive Owen), the pair must take on a mission to theintergalactic city of Alpha, who’s seventeen million inhabitants have come together over time, uniting their talents, technology and resources for the betterment of all. Unfortunately, not everyone in the city shares those same views, which leads to some unknown forces threatening the city and placing everyone in grave danger.
Comic book movies are as popular as ever now, and this movie is based on a very famous and influential comic calledValerian and Laureline. As influential as it may be, the general public is not nearly as familiar with this property as they are with a DC or Marvel property. So that makes the reported $200 million price tag this movie carries a huge risk. Especially since it is coming out in the heart of the summer, which means it will be facing some very stiff competition at the box office. It will be competing directly with Christopher Nolan’s WWII epicDunkirk, andWar for the Planet of the Apeswill be heading into its second weekend.
IfValerianwinds up getting some very positive early buzz, we could be looking at one of the surprise hits of the summer. If it gets middling to negative reviews, we could be looking at one of the biggest bombs of 2017. We’ll have to wait and see how things shake out, but for now, you can check out the final trailer forValerian and the City of a Thousand Planetsfor yourself below.
